Emma proves she's no shrinking violet

Emma Watson sheds her straight-laced Hermione persona in The Perks Of Being A Wallflower, which is released on Wednesday, October 3. The Harry Potter star talks about her teen years in the spotlight, the panic she felt before her latest film role and why she's not adverse to potentially playing the lead in the movie adaptation of 'mummy porn' Fifty Shades Of Grey.

By Susan Griffin

Adolescence is a tough time for anyone, but imagine going through it while under the full glare of the public spotlight.

As Harry Potter's 'mudblood' swot Hermione Granger, Emma Watson did just that, yet somehow she appears to have come through unscathed.

Career-wise, she's also successfully pushing forward with brave and intelligent film choices.

The first post-Potter was a supporting role in My Week With Marilyn, starring Michelle Williams, and she now steps up to a leading role as the free-spirited Sam in The Perks Of Being A Wallflower.

Based on the beloved best-selling novel by Stephen Chbosky, it's a funny and tender coming-of-age story.

It stars Logan Lerman as the academically precocious but socially awkward Charlie who is taken under the wing of Sam, her step-brother Patrick (Ezra Miller) and their group of 'wallflowers'.

"Charlie's been through a pretty rough time but he's the sweetest, most sensitive soul you'll ever meet, and Sam and Patrick try to shepherd him through the first year of high school, which we all know can be intimidating," says Watson.

She was studying at Brown University in the US when she received the script.

"Even though it was set in America it felt like it had something to do with what my adolescent experience was like," she says.

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"It was funny and sad and witty all at the same time and it felt really honest and authentic. It didn't glamorise the experience and didn't patronise or sensationalise it either."

The actress can admit she wasn't familiar with the novel - something her American counterparts could barely believe.

"My American friends berated me. They couldn't believe I hadn't read it and I realised there's this amazing cult following of people that really care about it," she explains.

"So, again putting a lot of pressure on myself to get it right," she adds with a small laugh.

She remembers a sense of panic a month before the cameras were due to roll.

"I was like, 'I've got to do an American accent and I don't know anything about being at an American school', so I started freaking out and making these crazy notes and emailing the director at three in the morning going, 'What does this mean?'

"It all worked out fine in the end but it was a real stretch for me, and there were parts that really pushed me out of my comfort zone in a big way."

That includes spending numerous scenes in little more than a corset and suspenders but Chbosky, who also directed the film, had immense faith in Watson.

"Emma is absolutely luminous in the role. It took about five minutes for me to realise that she was the perfect person for the character and the movie," he says.

"She grew up in the middle of a hurricane, and she did it with such grace and such class, but there is this loneliness about her. I knew when I met her that this was a part of her that was just dying to come out. She just needed permission."

And there is something solitary about Watson, as polite as she is.

Sitting in a chair wearing black trousers, a canary yellow jacket and black pumps, she seems a little distant, a tad world-weary, but then, at just 22, she's already been a household name for half her life.

"I tried my best to live my adolescence behind closed doors and I think I managed that," she says.

"I went back to school between filming; I sat my GCSEs and my A-levels and I went to university."

But making the film did make her "very aware" that her life has been very different to the majority of her peers.

"It's definitely been unusual, almost like it's been done backwards. There are certain parts of my development that's happening at different times," she muses.

"At times that's felt lonely but generally I feel privileged to have had so many different experiences."

And she adds there is an advantage to having worked on the Harry Potter movies for over a decade.

"I really loved making this film and I love acting and it's what I want to do so it made me grateful to have had a platform that allowed me to do that."

There are four more projects in the pipeline already, including Sophia Coppola's The Bling Ring, based on the real-life robberies of celebrity homes, and a cameo appearance in the apocalyptic The End Of The World, both of which are completed.

There are rumours that she's also in the running for the lead role in the movie adaptation of 'mummy porn' bestseller Fifty Shades Of Grey.

Laughing at the mention of this she says: "It's flattering in the sense that people are excited about what I do next.

"The thing is I haven't read any of the books so it's quite difficult to know what I'm turning down potentially, but I hear it's quite raunchy."

She pauses in contemplation.

"I mean, if there's interesting character development and there's an interesting story then I would consider it."

And that's because she's not fazed by the idea of stripping off on screen.

"I've been saying since I was 16 that if it's an interesting character and important for the character development, and of course if it's important to the story, then I'll do it because I'm an actress and that's it really."

Besides, she feels she's already faced the riskiest stage of her career head on, by tackling her first major role following Harry Potter.

"I did feel the pressure from the fact that whatever I decided to do next, people were going to put a lot of weight on and judge a lot," she says.

"But at the same time I enjoyed making this film so much, it doesn't matter to me whether people like it or not. I know it's special and I know I'm really proud of what I did in it.

"And when you feel good about something you don't need other people to validate it so much."

Extra time - The Perks Of Being A Wallflower

:: Writer and director Stephen Chbosky wrote the book while still in college. "I was going through a difficult time and was ready to write about why good people have to go through such bad things and how a family of friends can get you through."

:: The novel was published in 1999 but while lauded by some schools, it's been banned in other states because of its sensitive subject matter.

:: You may recognise Ezra Miller from his terrifying portrayal of a teenager killer in We Need To Talk About Kevin.

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:: Though initially told she wouldn't be allowed to do the stunt where Sam stands on the back of a moving truck, Emma Watson persuaded the director and describes it as "one of the most exciting moments of my life".

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